Carrhae

‘Carrhae’ is the fourth and final instalment in the Parthian Chronicles, the adventures of King Pacorus of Dura, and follows on from ‘Parthian Vengeance’. More

‘Carrhae’ is the fourth and final instalment in the Parthian Chronicles, the adventures of King Pacorus of Dura. It follows on from ‘Parthian Vengeance’.

The great Parthian Civil War is over, leaving behind an empire exhausted by years of bloodshed. After the murderous Battle of Susa, King Pacorus has returned to Dura with a heavy heart. He hopes that Parthia can at last look forward to peace and a united empire under King of Kings Orodes. But no sooner have hostilities ended than Armenia, the client state of Rome, declares war on the empire. Its king, Tigranes, unleashes his army against Parthia. In reply Pacorus must march north to defend Hatra, the city of his birth. But before he can do so he is forced to deal with an enemy army threatening Dura’s western frontier as the Romans seek to seize the caravan city of Palmyra.

Even Dura’s mighty army cannot stave off a series of defeats as the enemies of Parthia circle the empire like hungry wolves. And Pacorus knows that Marcus Licinius Crassus is marching east to extend Rome’s rule from the Euphrates to the Indus and enslave the whole of Parthia.

The scene is set for a showdown on the battlefield of Carrhae, a clash that will decide the destinies of two empires and two men.

I was raised in Grantham, Lincolnshire and attended the King's Grammar School after passing the Eleven Plus exam. In the latter I clearly remember writing an essay on Oliver Cromwell – my first piece of military writing.

Then came a BA in history and international relations at Nottingham followed by a Master of Philosophy course at the University of York. The subject was the generalship and cavalry of Prince Rupert of the Rhine, my boyhood hero, during the English Civil War. The year I spent researching and writing at York, Oxford and at the British Library in London was a truly wonderful time. I moved to London and eventually joined a small publishing company as an editor. Thus began my writing career.